Lovely Springtime Birthday Party Themes for Girls

 Little Gnome via Piece of Cake Party

My little Ellie is going to be 1 soon, and she gets more confident in her walking each day! She is my one and only girl and so when I see all of these fantabulus birthday party ideas, I think they would ALL be perfect for my special, toddling baby! Babble has put together 25 lovely spring party ideas, and these are a few of my favorites.

 Water Color Party via Handmade Home

 Ice Cream Social via Chic Cheap Nursery

 Sweet as Pie via Pizzazzerie

 Make a Wish via Frog Prince Paperie

 Vintage Pony, via Hostess with the Mostess

 Vintage Chic via Zsa Zsa Bellagio

Inspired Interiors: Design Love Fest

I discovered the most amazingly beautiful blog the other day, Design Love Fest. Bri's home, photography and outfits are adorable. Take her home for instance. Everything I am craving at the moment, style, creativity, color, neutrals, natural light is present. There is an energy that is both relaxing, yet energizing. Eclectic, mid century modern, mint, aqua, pink and white, golden, metallic accents, black and white geometric patterns, poufs and funky chairs... Shall I go on?

My Two Girls

Jackie was a rescue pound puppy, we think a border collie/lab mix. I called her my little pig and sometimes Patricia when I first got her, about 11 years ago. She was 6 months old and I got her as a companion for my other healer mix dog, Simon (who ended up being adopted by a physician friend on his farm, and even saved his life.) Jackie was very sick and I had to tend to her all night long for quite a while. I thought, "THIS must be what it would be like to have a newborn!" Well, no, after having three newborns, I can honestly say she was WAY harder. When I met my husband, he was able to tame that wild beast of a puppy and that is how I knew I loved him. Even though he momentarily lost her when he dog watched her as I traveled out of state for the birth of my first nephew....

I thought I had trained her to stay off the couches, only to discover she has now adopted this chair.

Being a dog owner/companion, I always thought I would NEVER allow my kids to put her in second place. When I became pregnant with my first, we had to start to train her to not sleep in our bed. She is an old gal now, cataracts and lumps and lots of allergies and smells and old lady quirks... and it is true, she does get the back burner of attention when so many kids are under foot. But, we still love to cuddle when we can find those moments of peace. She's my little noodle chup.
 

DIY: How to Add Patina to a Chandelier

A few months ago, I found this semi mangled chandelier on the side of the road next to the garbage. Talk about a curb side treasure! So, I did this manic U-turn, pulled into an awkward driveway and loaded it up. It also comes with those gold lampshades, but we most likely won't use them for now. What is your opinion, shades or no shades? Living in a rental, we can't put this up, besides, it is too big for our place with such low ceilings.

Our Downtown Studio salon is switching the massage and Jacuzzi room, with our large party/lounge area, and I knew this chandelier would be perfect for lighting since it is pretty dark. Pics of our gorgeous set up here! We spray painted the "candlesticks"  black and got some of the vintage candle flame looking light bulbs. I used a patina-like sea foam green color and dry brushed it on for an aged look, and in some parts, did more of a watercolor wash. I am probably going to add a second patina color and then do a little bit of sanding on the "patina" to really age it. We usually don't like the bright gold, but it works in here and really shines up the rustic glam feel. And of course, I want to add strands of drippy prisms from the bottom. It will be gorgeous and I will most definitely include photos of the finished project!

It's not really work when you love what you are doing!

 

Finished Product! At Downtown Studio Salon's massage and spa room.